If you are interested in raising your own shrimp, canning, smoking and preserving your own meat, fishing or sitting around a good camp fire.....we might be related. :)

Search Feature

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Prepping and Cooking a Pig on the Cinderblock Pit

This is going to be a long post and it might be a bit graphic for those who don't want to know where their pork comes from. Close your eyes if you're squeamish. :)

Did this cook a couple of weeks ago.
Didn't know how many would be here for the party so I picked out a pig that was close to 100lbs. (Didn't weigh it). This was one of the smaller pigs I had in the pen.

Day one.... attached a pully to the tree limb where I process pigs, (close to a water hose). Dispatched the pig, loaded it onto the tailgate of the pickup. (had help with that, it was pretty heavy)

The new gambrel I bought for processing deer was too large for the pig so had to rig some rope to keep the legs slightly spread and the pig in a position that was easy to work with. Looked odd but it worked. :)

Bled the pig and washed it well with the hose before starting...

Split down the center, removed the entrails, catching everything in a large container.

Inside the pig on either side of the spine is where your pork tenderloins come from. They are pretty popular for their tenderness.

For those who don't know....next time you grill tenderloins you'll know exactly what part of the pig you're eating. :)

I opted to skin the pig instead of scalding and scraping to save time and work.
Started with a slit around the hind legs and worked the hide down, using a knife to separate the skin from the pig. (just like skinning a deer)

work the hide all the way down...

removed the head and the front forelegs...

Hosed the pig off again, backed the pickup close by and lowered the pig into a tub on the tailgate.
(the tub is a sheep water trough I save especially for pigs)
Remove the back feet as you lower the pig into the tub.

Next step is to butterfly the pig. Use a large sharp axe.... place the axe on the center of the spine. Hit the back head of the axe with a hammer. This forces the axe into the spine...move the axe down the spine and repeat until the whole spine is split and the pig lays flat.
Be careful not to cut all the way through the pig.

Press the rib cage and shoulders open with your hands to make the pig lay flat...

Rinse with cold water and ice down until needed. In this case I iced it down overnight.

Next morning....
It was a beautiful day. :)

Getting the pit ready. Put new foil in the bottom. Used the weed burner on everything (grate too).
It rained during the night so had to place boards around the pit to walk on. It was pretty muddy! (not complaining, I loved the rain! :))

Covered the bottom with foil, added two small piles of coal, added two drip pans filled with beer, dry rub and sliced leeks for flavor and aroma. (smells sooooo good)
The coals go under the hams and shoulders of the pig, not the rib section.

lit the coals with the weed burner...

placed the cooking grate on the pit and added another layer of blocks...

31 comments:

Thanks for this. I really like the walk through, wish I had that skill set. I'm just getting over putting the live lobsters in the pot...lol!! Do you save/use the feet? Thanks again. I can almost smell it from here! Num, num...

That looks so good! I just finished up my graduation open houses and not one roasted pig. So disappointed!

I have a very small pig farm down the road and every once in awhile one will die or break a leg or something. He gives them away. I'm on the list. I just hope its late fall or winter when my turn comes around.

Jeanie So I guess this took place BEFORE the GREAT ambulance cruise....;) Great tutorial, for prepping the hog. I was headed your way but I didn't quite make it. Never trust Jack 'n Jose' to give directions...;) It sure looks purdy darn tasty. Take care Hope yer havin' a good week.

Linda that's interesting about the pully in your tree. I bet it was put to good use. Wish you lived closer, I would have invited you for sure. :)Your reunion looked like a great success! I enjoyed the pics.Thanks so much for stopping by. :)

Chris thanks! Meant to tell you that I didn't trip over Sugar. lolI'm getting stronger every day. :)If you lived closer I would have invited you too. You might have to bring your lawn chair though. :)Thanks again Chris!

Great post. I've been BBQing for years on a Meadow Creek PR-42. Ironically, the one thing my wife WON'T let me do is a whole hog (she doesn't care if that whole hog is cut up into pieces...she just can't take it seeing a whole pig on the roaster).

My one question is, HOW do you kill your pigs. I've never done anything remotely close to your process nor did I grow up in a rural environment to be around people who did so. I'm a city boy with a love for good 'que.

I am relatively late to your blog, but I am glad I found it. Anyway, cooking pig with cinder blocks and live coals (not the same as charcoal, but the jist is the same) is how I learned to cook bbq. Would you rather cook on the pit or would you rather used your offset. Do you reserve your pit for whole hogs - or do you also use it for pig parts, i.e., ribs, shoulders, etc? Granted, cooking times are different and it is much more convenient on the offset...but the offset cannot give the same taste. I've tried, and it just ain't happening.

Hi Van, it's nice to meet you!Sorry for the delay in getting a reply to you, I just returned from a long weekend trip.I agree with you...block pit cooking is different from the offset. I like it better for certain things. (like whole hogs).I do use my block pit for different things...venison shoulders, beef and pork ribs, pork parts (shoulders), briskets, beans, turkeys. Anything! Plain ole corn on the cob is good on the pit too.

I do love my horizontal wood burner and other cookers but this block pit puts out some tasty grub... It does give the food a different flavor in my opinion. :)Underground pits also add a certain flavor that you can't get from the wood burning horizontal too. I couldn't give up any of my smokers, I love them all for what they do. :)

Thank you Steve! Many times I just use a spiced up beef stock, add garlic and onion powders then cayenne, soy and worst sauce to taste. Sometimes I make a mixture of applejuice, brown sugar, kosher salt and worst sauce to taste. I don't usually measure, just make it to taste. Sorry I can't be more specific!

Hi Unknown!I lucked out and got the grate from someone in construction. It was catwalk material. You might try a hardware or lumber yard, see if they can order you a sheet of expanded metal the size you need. Also get the heavy duty kind or use rebar to brace the center if it's too thin. I (spray) oil it down just like cast iron, it keep the thing from rusting.Good luck to you!!

Operation BBQ Relief

About Me

Born and raised in the country, I Love wide open spaces.
Enjoy camping, fishing, hunting, and any form of outdoor cooking, hot, warm and cold smoking. Preserving what I hunt, catch, raise or forage. I enjoy being able to provide food for my table.
I'm thankful for each day and will never take anything for granted.
Thanks for stopping by!

site content

The contents of the Site, such as text, graphics, images and other material ("Material"), are protected by US and foreign copyright and trademark law. Unauthorized use of the Material may violate copyright, trademark, and other laws. You must retain all copyright and other proprietary notices contained in the original Material on any copy you make of the Material. You may not sell or modify the Material or reproduce, display, publicly perform, distribute, or otherwise use the Material in any way for any public or commercial purpose. The use of the Material on any other Web site or in a networked computer environment for any purpose is prohibited.